Marvella Ying

Marvella Ying is the founder and principal doula at M-Brace Birthing LLC a Full spectrum Doula Support Service. A devoted mother, wife, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, and community advocate, her personal birthing experiences have fueled her passion for this meaningful work. She views birth as a profound journey for families and is committed to fostering a positive experience that strengthens bonds and nurtures love. Beyond her hands-on work with families, Marvella is deeply committed to expanding access to equitable birthing support. She manages a GoFundMe initiative to offer discounted services to financially vulnerable families. She also is the Operations and Financial Manager at The Doula Lab, a nonprofit organization that provides birthing support, childbirth education, lactation assistance, and newborn care education to underserved communities in the Metro East and St. Louis City. Her impact extends to maternal health policy and advocacy. As a member of the Missouri Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC) and the Missouri Postpartum Taskforce, she collaborates with healthcare professionals to drive systemic change. She also co-authored the "Doula Integration Guidance for Healthcare Settings" for the state of Missouri, helping to bridge the gap between doulas and medical institutions. Marvella is also a sought-after public speaker, sharing her expertise on maternal health, birth equity, and community-based support at major conferences and conventions. She has spoken at the Uplift Convention, MHA Convention, IL PQC Conference, and many other platforms where she continues to advocate for improved maternal health outcomes and systemic change. With experience across diverse birth settings—including home births, hospitals, medicated and unmedicated births, cesarean sections, and vaginal twin deliveries—Marvella’s ultimate goal is to ensure that every birthing person feels respected, heard, supported, and fully informed in their birthing choices.